They notified Bismarck that they would not stand by and see France crushed—­not from any love of France, but because they were jealous of Prussia and afraid that the Germans might become too powerful in Europe.  Accordingly, Bismarck had to give up his idea of war.  Prussia was strong, but she could not fight England, Russia, and France combined.  However, he remembered that England and Russia had spoiled his plans and waited for a chance to get revenge.

[Illustration:  Peter the Great]

The great object of all European diplomats was to maintain what they called “the balance of power.”  By this they meant that no one country was to be allowed to grow so strong that she could defy the rest of Europe.  Whenever one nation grew too powerful, the others combined to pull her down.

In the meantime, trouble was again brewing among the Balkan nations, which were still subject to the Turks.  Revolts had broken out among the Serbians, and the people of Bosnia and Bulgaria.  As has already been told, these nations are Slavic, cousins of the Russians, and they have always looked upon Russia as their big brother and protector.  Any keen-eared, intelligent Russian can understand the language of the Serbs, it is so much like his own tongue. (Bel-grad, Petro-grad; the word “grad” means “city” in both languages.)

Not only was Russia hostile toward the Turks because they were oppressing the little Slav states, but she had reasons of her own for wanting to see Turkey overthrown.  Ever since the reign of Peter the Great, Russia had had her eye upon Constantinople.  Peter had conquered the district east of the Gulf of Finland, and had founded St. Petersburg[4] there, just to give Russia a port which was free of ice.  In the same way, other czars who followed him had fought their way southward to the Black Sea, seeking for a chance to trade with the Mediterranean world.  But the Black Sea was like a bottle, and the Turks at Constantinople were able to stop the Russian trade at any time they might wish to do so.  Russia is an agricultural country, and must ship her grain to countries that are more densely inhabited, to exchange it for their manufactures.

[4] Now called Petrograd.

[Illustration:  Entrance to the Mosque of St Sophia]

Therefore, it has been the dream of every Russian czar that one day Russia might own Constantinople.  Again, this city, in ancient days, was the home of the Greek church, as Rome was the capital of the western Catholic church.  The Russians are all Greek Catholics, and every Russian looks forward to the day when the great church of St. Sophia, which is now a Mohammedan mosque, shall once more be the home of Christian worship.  With this plan in mind, Russian diplomats were only too happy to stir up trouble for the Turks among the Slavic peoples of the Balkan states, as Serbia, Bulgaria, Roumania, and Montenegro are called.  Glance at the two following maps of southeastern Europe, and see how Turkey had been reduced in size during the two hundred years which followed the Turkish defeat at the gates of Vienna by John Sobieski and the Austrians.  The state of Bessarabia had changed hands two or three times, remaining finally in the hands of Russia.